The Art of the Dress
by Sgt. trollz
Summary: When Rarity wrongs Rainbow Dash for the last time, and ruins a very important order for the unicorn, Rarity decides that she must pay...


It was a beautiful summer dawn, and the morning dew had just begun to sparkle on the green grass when Rarity awoke from a deep slumber filled with sweet dreams. Taking her sleep mask off, she yawned and stretched, her muscles losing the tightness that befall us as we sleep.

And as she awoke, Sweetie Belle was already up and bounding over to Rarity to bury her in a warm embrace, giggling,

"Rarity, Rarity! I made you breakfast again, you should see it!"

Sweetie said, a huge smile practically splitting her face in half. Rarity groaned in anticipation of what scorched horrors awaited her below, in the kitchen.

"Oh, I simply can't wait..."

Rarity said, exasperated already, Sweetie Belle happily bouncing down the stairs, and Rarity following her small filly body in a tired, zombie-like walk.

Upon coming into the kitchen, Rarity stood, wide-mouthed, in awe at what she saw. Pots, pans, flour, and other cooking supplies covered the room, a splash of what Rarity hoped to be red grape juice on the wall, contrasting the white paint. Burnt nuggets, their composition unable to be discerned, lay upon two plates set upon the table, glasses of black ash set near each one. Rarity made a sound akin to a banshee's wail and fell to the floor, on her knees, trying to retain a grasp on the situation. This grasp, however, would not come, as Sweetie came forth, a tray of the scorched black nuggets in her hooves.

"Hey, Rarity! I made these all by myself! Try one, they're really good!"

Rarity gave her an appalled look, an expression of utter horror and disbelief. She scrunched her face, grinding her teeth against one another, to the point where one could have easily been chipped, though, no such thing happened.

"I can't believe you would...why did...you didn't...how..."

Rarity said, taking a few deep breaths, calming herself to a degree. Sweetie kept smiling at her, her face practically splitting in half, which, Rarity darkly realized, she wouldn't have minded happening to Sweetie. She disregarded this thought, though, and simply sighed, smiling and preparing to clean up the kitchen.

After about an hour of scrubbing and washing, the cleaning was finally done, and Rarity was just wiping the last of the shining sweat from her brow as her doorbell rang with a peaceful noise. She preferred this doorbell sound, created by a few simple spells woven together, rather than the harsh ear-splitting ring that the sound originally was.

"Oh, dear me, who could that be, and at this hour?"

She inquired, opening the door to a rather sophisticated looking unicorn, a monocle upon his eye and the bulge of a pocket watch, along with it's golden chain, hanging from it in a loop. He wore a luxurious tux, combined wit a red tie and a white undershirt that clearly emphasized his strong-looking chest.

He spoke in a refined Trottingham accent,"Hello, I am Top Notch, and I'd like to place an order for a dress, as I hear you are very skilled at this, despite being from," he paused to cough and brush his hooves on a handkerchief retrieved from his pocket, then he said, almost with contempt,"Ponyville..."

Rarity opened the door all the way open to allow him passage inside the boutique. As Top Notch silently judged her craftsmanship, nodding at times, cringing at the others (Rarity had kept those farthest in the back for a reason), but, all in all, he looked pleased, looked at her, and said,

"My my, I must admit that these are very fine dresses...but you see, the dress is for my wife. We are to be wed in three weeks, so the dress must be very special."

"Ah, a wedding, how sweet. I'll do my best to make you a marvelous wedding dress! But, erm, are there any specific details you want in the dress?"

"No, dearie, I trust you in that the dress will be simply marvelous."

He replied with a smile upon his face. Rarity thanked the colt and took the payment he gave her, then sent him out with a kind farewell and a promise that the dress would be done in two weeks.

**two weeks later...**

Tomorrow was the day that Rarity would need to deliver the extravagant finished dress to Top Notch, and she was positively beaming about it, humming happily as she trotted down the street, carrying the dress over her back.

Rainbow Dash saw Rarity below and decided to have a bit of...fun. She raced towards the white unicorn and playfully pushed her, laughing as she did. Rarity toppled to the dirt and was forced to watch as her ornate dress, that she spent so many hours, so many sleepless nights, the dress that she had put ninety percent of her very heart and soul into...land in a pothole in the road, filled with muddy water from last night's rain. Rarity's heart fell into her hooves as she stood, mouth agape, at the white fabric, slowly taking on a brown shade as it soaked up the muddy water.

Rarity was decimated. She gasped a few times, her eyes filling up with tears, glazing them over and blurring her vision.

"Oh, sorry about that, Rarity, didn't mean to make your dress fall."

Rainbow said, patting the shocked white unicorn on the shoulder. Rarity shoved her away and ran away as fast as she could, sobbing and leaving a trail of darkened wet spots on the dirt road. Rainbow Dash scoffed and said,

"Wow, crybaby..."

And took to the skies, planning to grab a bite at the Sugar Cube Corner, then head to her house and dig into her new favorite book, _Daring Doo and the Crystal Skull_.

Rarity, on the other hoof, was very dismayed as she ran home, passed the confused Sweetie Belle, passed the annoyed Opal, who was calmly licking her leg as Rarity bounded past, slamming into her bed and sobbing heavy, pained sobs into the sheets. After a while of crying, she eventually drifted into sleep, her pillow covered in the saltiness of her tears.

She didn't leave her room until the next day, around lunch time, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief and sniffling. Sweetie Belle heard her door open and bounded up the stairs to meet her.

"Are you alright, Rarity?"

Sweetie asked with childish innocence. Rarity brushed her little mane, smiling sadly through her own disheveled, matted clump of purple atop her head.

"No, not really Sweetie, but I think I'll be fine...I just needed a little rest, I suppose, do not fret for me. Now, shall we go have lunch?"

Rarity asked the filly, who's eyes lit up as her sister mentioned the prospect of food. The two unicorns departed to the kitchen downstairs, Rarity cooking up a simple little meal of grass and hay sandwiches, with steamed carrots and celery to compliment. Sweetie happily chowed down on this simple, yet delicious dinner; she hadn't eaten since breakfast the day before. Rarity, however, hardly touched her food, which grew cold in it's white plate. She excused herself and left the table, putting her plate away and telling Sweetie to follow suit.

The purple maned unicorn needed some sort of vent, some way of releasing her pent up feelings of betrayal, sorrow, and rage. She took a quick shower, made sure it was styled in just the way she liked it, then went out wrapped in a towel to dry her coat. Then, when traversing the hallway to her room, she stopped midway. She needed to deliver that dress to Top Notch by 5:00 sharp...and Rainbow had ruined it...Rainbow Dash had ruined the best dress she had ever made. She would pay, Rarity decided at that moment. Oh, she would pay dearly...

It was quite some time before she was finally ready to leave the confines of her house to buy more supplies from the store in town. She couldn't believe she was being subjected to this annoyance, having to go use more of _her_ money to pay for _Rainbow's_ wrongdoing. These thoughts were pondered by the slowly trotting Rarity, making her grow ever-infuriated at that little blue brute. She behaved like a reckless child, always moving, as if she had eaten all of the sweets in the Sugar Cube Corner. Rarity wished she would just stop being so raucous, so aggressive in her approach to situations. As Rarity knew, of course, that a gentle, kind approach could go farther for a pony. Bribing was even better than violent, aggressive behaviors.

"I don't need that...that...that...that bitch!"

She whispered to herself, growing flushed with anger. She bought her supplies with angry flourish and practically stomped home, flinging the door wide open with frustration.

"Rarity, are you alright? Is something wrong?"

Sweetie asked as she stormed inside.

"No Sweetie, everything is fine. Nothing is wrong, why would anything be wrong?"

The white unicorn asked nervously, not wanting to worry her sister.

"Are you sure, you seem kinda...mad."

"Mad? A proper lady does not get mad, she gets frustrated."

"Well, are you frustra-"

"No. I am calm, collected, and altogether fine. Do not worry yourself, Sweetie. Now, I must finish this dress soon, or Top Notch, and his wife, will surely have my head, so please be quiet."

"Bu-"

"Shh!"

And with that shush, Sweetie left, wondering what her sister's problem was. She surely had done nothing wrong, she even made her breakfast! So, she pondered, why was Rarity so mad? Obviously, she would need some help, and the ones who could give her that help would be her best friends in the entire world, the Cutie Mark Crusaders!

The unicorn filly found her friends playing with a ball outside, bouncing it between the two of them.

"Hey guys!"

She said, trying to sound happier than what she felt.

"Hey."

Scootaloo said as she bounced the ball to Apple Bloom.

"Why," she jumped up and bounced the ball high in the air with her head,"Howdy there, Sweets!"

Sweetie began to speak, but was stopped as the ball descended from it's flight, landing perfectly atop the little unicorn's horn, deflating it over her face. She lifted it off of her horn and said,

"Oh, uh, sorry guys..."

Scootaloo groaned in annoyance, while Apple Bloom simply burst into a fit of laughter as Sweetie held the mass of deflated rubber in her hoof. She tossed it aside with a grunt and asked,

"Do you girls know why Rarity would be all mad all of a sudden?"

"You know Rarity, always dramatic..."

Scootaloo said, rolling her eyes.

"I know, but she seemed...not really dramatic, but actually feeling really angry. I don't know what's gotten into her."

Sweetie replied.

"Well, maybe ya should jus' go ask'er",

Apple Bloom said, taking a few moments to study a pear that had fallen off of a tree before chomping into it noisily.

"I don't think that'd be a very good idea, I mean, she was being pretty mean..."

Sweetie said, lost. She sighed, her mind scrambled with pondering thoughts, falling onto her rump with a grunt and tapping a hoof on her chin.

"Maybe we should watch her...you know, to find out what's wrong?"

"Cutie Mark Crusaders Secret Spies?"

Scootaloo said, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Ah 'spose that'd be what it'd be called..."

Bloom said, smiling and holding her hoof out.

Sweetie smiled as well, putting her hoof on Apple Bloom's, and Scootaloo soon following suit, putting hers on Sweetie Belle's. The three then all yelled in unison,

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS SECRET SPIES, YAY!"

Meanwhile, Rarity was in the basement of her boutique, hastily putting on the finishing touches to her rather simple looking dress, one that anypony could buy at any other dress store, but with Rarity's signature flare and stylistic grace.

She finished her dress, content with her creation. She planned to put it on a mannequin that was the same size and girth as Top Notch's wife, as she was given a slip of paper that displayed this information. Sadly, she had no mannequin's of this unique stature. But she did note that these specifications were very similar to Rainbow Dash's own...Rarity was very good at guessing numbers, and she knew how she would get back at the little blue demon. She just needed some supplies...and a reason for Rainbow to come down to her basement.

She decided she would ask Rainbow to try on a headdress, one that allowed a pony's mane to be held down while flying so as to reduce wind resistance, and therefore increase speed, while flying. This obviously piqued the pegasus' interest, and Rarity brought her down into the dark basement.

There, in the middle of the room, sat a carpenter's wooden horse. Rarity had gone to great lengths to acquire it, and attach leather clamps to the midsection and legs. There was a sack sitting on the ground, filled with a few items Rarity would need to exact her revenge.

"Uh...Rarity, what is _that_ thing...it looks like some kinky little contraption."

Rainbow said, laughing nervously and looking over to the unicorn, who displayed no emotion upon her beautiful, delicate face.

"Get on it, Dash."

"W-what?"

"Lay down on top of it. Then I will show you the headdress."

"Okay...this better not be some sick trick..."

Rarity laughed and said,

"A trick? Of course not, why would I have any reason to trick you?"

"Y-yeah...guess you're right..."

Rainbow said, swallowing a worried ball of saliva down her throat and heading towards the wooden contraption. She reached her left foreleg over it, then her left hind leg, pulling herself on top and setting her legs against the horse's own.

"Now...stay still, Dash, I need to strap you in correctly, or it won't work."  
>"S-s-strap me in? Okay, I guess..."<p>

Rainbow replied, shaking and sweating with unsure fear. Rarity stepped over and tightened the bonds upon her legs and midsection, locking the pegasus in place. Rainbow struggled a bit and said,

"Don't you think this is a bit tight? I mean..."

"No, it's just perfect..."

Rarity interrupted, lifting the sack from the floor and drawing forth a small hammer and a muzzle. She made sure that Rainbow Dash could not see this as she was behind her flank, smiling at her as she wrapped the muzzle around her mouth from behind, pulling it taut and evoking terrified mumbles from Dash.

Rarity shushed her and locked in the buckles that kept the mask on her. Rainbow's eyes were darting around the room, her entire body quivering and dripping with sweat. She shook and tried to scream, but they were muffled by the cotton and leather inside the mask.

"Now, Mama Rarity has to get something to keep you in the right position while you try it on..."

Rarity said, going into the back of the room and picking up four sharpened, gleaming steel spikes, a bit longer than Rainbow's legs. These gems were the hardest for Rarity to obtain. They had to be custom made, and so they cost her about six hundred bits.

"Mphf? Mfhty!"

Rainbow tried to yell as the unicorn stepped in front of her, lifting the hammer and smiling the sharpened, cruel, knowing smile of one who knows that she has bested her opponent.

Rarity set one of the spikes against the front of one of Rainbow Dashes legs, right above the knee, and gave it one good slam with the hammer. A splatter of blood shot out and hit Rarity's smiling face, as Rainbow emitted a bloodcurdling scream and the spike was driven about an inch into her flesh. Rarity hammered once more, repeating this routine of hit, scream, inch, hit, scream, inch, until it had come out of the other side just as Rarity had planned, riding along the side of her bone, that is.

Rainbow was screaming for dear life, a two crystalline rivers of tears shining down her cheeks in the dim light. Sweat matted her mane, and she was suffocated by both the muzzle and her own panic. Rarity calmly trotted to her other leg, preparing to start the process again, hefting another stake. Her mane was wet with blood, and she smiled through her red speckled face.

She hammered again and again into Rainbow Dash, the one who had almost ruined her career, and the one who angered her so with her brash ways. She continued for each leg on her body, leaving Dash a husk of a pony, her usual confident nature torn to shreds and reduced to a quivering pathetic, pile of flesh filled with bone. Bones that were as hardy and as strong as Applejack's hind legs, and flesh that was taut with the wear of years of exercising.

Outside, three little fillies stood, watching in awe, wide-eyed. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were watching with silent horror, but Sweetie was busy vomiting a few meters away. The onlookers were now attracted to a new sight, this being a small wooden pole upon a platform in the far corner...

Rarity now began to not just admire the art of dressmaking, but the art of a pony's anatomy. It was positively beautiful, the way each part moved in harmonic unison, how each and every mechanism worked together to achieve the things a pony needed to achieve. She pondered this and many other thoughts as she unclasped the leather bonds on Rainbow's body and lifted her, slowly carrying her over to a larger wooden spike, sharpened and set upon a platform.

"I'm sorry, Rainbow, I really am...but a pony must respect the art of a dressmaker. And you clearly lack such respect. You selfish bitch..."

Rarity said to Rainbow Dash, who was whimpering and pleading for Rarity not to do this, trying to speak correctly through her muzzle, without avail. Rarity smiled and lifted her up, high over the spike, carefully setting her on top of it, letting her feel the point as it jabbed her in the stomach. Then she brushed Dash's hair lovingly, motherly.

Rainbow Dash sobbed and mumbled something.

"Shh...Mama Rarity's going to make it all better...mama Rarity's going to stop it from hurting...Rarity loves her little Dashie, yes she does..."

Rarity whispered to the crying pegasus as she lowered her farther and farther onto the spike, as it broke the skin and made Rainbow gasp with pain. It sank farther and farther into her flesh, sliding against and piercing her innards.

Dash moaned in pain as it stopped sliding right next to her spine, a little hump of coat extruding forward, the spike not having enough power left to poke through her skin.

"Now now, Dashie...it's time to go to sleep, my little filly...shh...go to sleep, rest your sleepy head, you've had quite a night haven't you? I need to deliver this dress...but first..."

Rarity whispered into her ear, then stepping over to the dress and putting it on the slowly dieing Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria, number one fan of the Wonderbolts, and loyal friend to the end.

Needless to say, Top Notch loved his wife's new wedding dress, which had a peculiar, yet interesting red pattern on the legs and chest.


End file.
